The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7247 p605
3 May 2003

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Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk)

Safety alert for Roche test strips

A safety alert has been issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency warning that test strips used with the Roche Accu-Chek Advantage II blood glucose meter should not be used to monitor patients taking treatments containing maltose.

The alert follows reports of three incidents, including one death, in which maltose-containing treatments caused patients’ blood glucose results to be overestimated. This is despite the fact that the test strips are supplied with instructions that list maltose as an interfering substance. Roche has now revised the instructions, drawing attention to the interaction.

The MHRA has sent its alert to all National Health Service hospital and primary care trusts in England. It recommends that staff with responsibility for using blood glucose meters should read the instructions for each test to familiarise themselves with any system limitations. The MHRA also advises those who are unsure about whether a treatment contains maltose to contact a hospital pharmacy medicines information department. Treatments that contain maltose include icodextrin (used in peritoneal dialysis) and some immunoglobulin preparations.